North West Mounted Police RCMP's 140 years honoured in Google doodle

Almost 140 years ago, Commissioner George Arthur French led 275 officers to the prairie lands of Canada — a place unknown to almost every one of them.

Liquor trafficking in the west compelled Prime Minister John A. MacDonald to send his newly minted Mounties to bring law to the land.

It was crucial to shaping Canada and — on the 140th anniversary of North West Mounted Police’s creation — still one of the force’s most important moments.

French’s diaries were filled with bleak detail of the 1874 March West. It was treacherous and unexpected terrain.

By September 9, the horses were dropping fast on the prairies’ harsh terrain due to lack of grass, water and feed.

“I had a blanket taken from every officer and man last night, so that each horse was covered and protected from the cold rain and wind,” French wrote in his journal.

But they trekked on until October 18, when they began building the first western camp in southern Alberta, Fort Macleod, and began the process of bringing law and order to Canada’s unruly frontier.

At the beginning, people hardly believed such a unified force existed. They were seen as the Prairie police, cracking down on liquor traffickers and making peace between settlers and aboriginals.

But over the next few decades, they grew into their modern role as a national police force, respected even across the border for their varied skills and coverage of vast space.

“The Canadian North West Mounted Police is one of the most valuable bodies in the public service,” The New York Times wrote on December 6, 1891. “The force is small, but a most excellent state of efficiency is maintained, and the discipline is excellent.”

The force grew larger over time. In 1904, Kind Edward VII added the “royal” prefix to their name. In 1920, they merged with the Dominion Police and became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that we know today. One thing, however, has remained constant, and that is the bright, scarlet jacket that is recognized around the world as so very Canadian.

“Their uniform is rich and impressive,” the Times wrote, “scarlet tunics with yellow braid reliefs and yellow facings, blue cloth riding trousers with a yellow stripe, top boots and spurs, and a helmet, for summer. Thus dressed and mounted, they look more like a section of a crack cavalry regiment than a mere body of police.”